Harington portrays Robert Catesby, a Warwickshire man who was the mastermind behind the plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5 in 1605.

The series also stars Liv Tyler as Ann Vaux (Picture: BBC)

And despite viewers declaring it as being ‘gory’, they heaped praise on the drama for not skirting around the gruesome scenes, as well as airing their delight at having eye candy in Harington to take their minds off the blood.

#Gunpowder: gory, graphic & gripping.Loved it but feeling a bit queasy from early scenes so will need a week to recover for next episode.